Always in Their Shadow
by Ciaco124
Summary: Tilly, the daughter of Tony Stark, has dangerous secrets from her past. As she tries to control her growing powers, she loses control of other aspects of her life. Follow her journey of friendship, love and hate. As big decisions are thrown her way, Tilly has to make difficult choices. She must choose between the fate of humanity and the ever growing darkness inside of her.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! So I've decided to restart this story from the beginning. When I started writing the first time, I didn't have many ideas for where I wanted the plot to go, and reading back on it, I wasn't happy with my writing. So after over a year, I'm back! I really missed writing, and coming back to it has been brilliant, and I'm enjoying it a lot. At the minute, I have a few chapters written, and I'm hoping to put one up every week. I also have a solid plan for where I want the story to go now, so hopefully along with the fact that I've finished school, my posting of chapters will be consistent. I've removed the old chapters, as they clash with the new version of the story, and I also want a fresh start. I really hope you enjoy the revamped story, and without further ado, here it is! **

**\- Ciaco124**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel, I only own my OC: Tilly**

_**Chapter 1**_

_Drip, drip, drip. "Eight years I've been here."_ _Drip, drip, drip. "Eight years since the murder." Drip, drip, drip. "Eight years since the day that changed my life."_

"Ms. Stark, your father requests that you meet him in the living room." The familiar voice of JARVIS, our AI echoed through the bathroom, drawing me out of my reverie. The meditative melody of the water droplets, hitting the marble floor of the shower had lulled me in, resurfacing old, painful memories.

"Ms. Stark?"

"Oh sorry, J. Tell him I'll be there in two minutes."

_Really Tilly? That's the second time in two minutes. Come on, get your shit together; stop wandering off to dream-land. _

"Right away Ms." the AI responded. I tapped myself softly several times on the cheek, to bring myself back to reality. I picked up my towel, flinging it into the laundry basket as I left the bathroom.

I had to admit, Stark Tower wasn't the worst place to be stuck in. I had a whole floor to myself; my own space. It had a fully equipped kitchen, a gargantuan TV, and best of all a dual purpose gaming and music room. I loved to spend time in there. Dad had had it equipped with the latest gadgets, and a grand piano sat beside the window. Sometimes, after doing some work on his suits, Dad would join me and just listen to me play. It was a definite change from his usual genre, but it seemed to give him comfort; especially after the events of the past two years. Everything changed the day he announced himself as Iron Man. Suddenly, the spotlight was on him, (well, even more so than usual.) I stayed in the Malibu mansion for around 18 months during that period. Fury didn't want nosy reporters sneaking around the tower only to come across their next big headline.

As I waked into the living room, I saw the instantly recognisable sight of my father in one of his suits, (his Iron Man suit, that is.)

"Hey Dad, what's up? Is everything alright?" I asked with a hint of worry in my voice. _It must be important if he's in his suit._

"Fury called. Remember the Avengers initiative he wanted to start?" I nodded in response. He sounded calm as he spoke, easing my worries.

"Well he started it. Apparently some crazy guy from outer space is terrorizing the people of Germany. Not to mention he stole one of Fury's toys, and Fury wants it back."

"Right, and you're going to stop said crazy guy?" I was confused as to why he telling me so much information. Usually if he was going somewhere, he'd just tell me how long he'd be gone for, and he'd be off. He never gave this much detail. He must have seen the confusion on my face, as he addressed my questions when he spoke.

"Look, I have a feeling that if this guy** is** actually as bad as Fury made him out to be, that Fury will want your help. I don't want you involved if it's going to be dangerous, and from the sound of it, this guy's the real deal." Thinking about what he said, I didn't know whether to be happy that he wanted to protect me, or annoyed because he made it sound like I couldn't look after myself.

"Look Dad, I know that you're worried, but you and I both know that I can look after myself. I was trained by the best after all."

"Oh trust me kiddo, I know. But that doesn't mean I worry any less." Understanding his concern, I gave in.

"Fine, I'll stay out of it. You know Fury's not gonna be happy about this," I said, raising my eyebrows slightly.

"Oh I know. I love pissing him off just as much as you do," his smirk made it hard to resist rolling my eyes, and I soon gave in with a scoff.

"Go kick some ass. I'll make you some chocolate rice krispie squares, for when you come back." I grinned, just imagining the smell of the sweet treats. Dad gave me a fist bump (our signature move) and a smile, before his face became covered by the metal mask of the Iron Man suit. With that, he powered up his thrusters, and flew out of the tower. With a sigh, I headed over toward the kitchen. _Might as well get a start on the rice krispie squares. Not like I have anything better to do._

A few hours later, I lay on the sofa, rice krispie square in hand, watching whatever random video on YouTube had caught my eye at that moment. The sudden appearance of JARVIS' voice made me jump, almost dropping my treat.

"Ms. Stark, Director Fury is on call. He said it's urgent." _Great. I guess Dad was right. _

"Thanks J, you can put him on."

I sat up, putting my plate down, as Fury's face appeared on the TV, his eyepatch as menacing as ever.

"Stark." He looked tired, although his face was emotionless, as it always was.

"Fury. To what do I owe the pleasure?" I smiled sarcastically at him, trying to get on his nerves.

"I need a favour," he grimaced, making it clear that he was not at all happy to be coming to me for help.

"Oh, a favour you say. And what exactly does this favour entail?" I smirked as I saw the irritation in his eye.

"I presume you know your father went to Germany, and why?" I nodded, but said nothing.

"Well he and a few others managed to capture Loki, the crazy guy from space. They're on their way to transport him to the Helicarrier." I began to feel impatient, wishing he would just address whatever thing he called me for. Patience was unfortunately something that I never had. I liked getting straight to the point.

"Look Nick, it's not that I don't enjoy our little chats, but you know I've never been one to have a lot of patience." I smiled cheekily, knowing that I was really starting to get to him.

"Look Stark, I need your help." I could tell by the way he spoke that he hated having to admit that he needed me. I smirked at the thought.

"Help with what exactly?" I asked, genuinely curious as to what he was going to say. He was hardly going to ask me to join the Avengers. Yeah, I was good with hand to hand combat, but what good would that do against a crazy dude from space? And as for using my powers, we both knew that that was out of the question.

"I need you to keep an eye on Loki. Bring him food, indirectly interrogate him, find out his weaknesses. If things do go to shit, you're the only one I can think of powerful enough to stop him." I didn't reply straight away. The thought of using my powers again, after what had happened the last time, made me grimace.

"You know, Dad warned me that you were going to ask for my help. He told me that if you asked, to turn you down. Maybe he was right. I mean, what good am I to you. Yes, I am powerful, but we both know that I can't put that power to any use." I spoke quietly, trying to block out the memories trying to claw themselves to the forefront of my brain.

"But you can threaten Loki with the idea of that power." He made a valid point. Loki didn't know anything about me. And it's not like I would be lying about having powers. I'd just be leaving out the part that I can't control them.

"What's in it for me?" I inquired, not about to help him and get nothing in return.

"Freedom. You won't be confined to Stark Tower, and you'll be monitored less." His mouth twitched slightly, as if he was about to smirk when he saw my reaction. Eyebrow raised, and mouth slightly open, I struggled to find a reply. _He knew that would get me. _

"Shit," I muttered under my breath.

"You know Dad's going to be pissed. He specifically told me to stay out of this," I crossed my arms as I spoke, knowing my decision was going to upset Dad. _I can't pass this opportunity up though. _

"Let me handle him. I'll send a Quinjet to pick you up at 0900, don't be late," Fury remarked, smirking openly now that he had gotten what he wanted. I scoffed. _Yeah right. We both know I'm gonna be the one facing his wrath._

"I'll forward you the files on the people you'll be working with. Read them," and with that, the TV returned to YouTube home.

"Asshole. He knows I hate mornings." I huffed, and picked up what was left of my rice krispie square. Before I took a bite, I decided that I should probably ask JARVIS to set an alarm, because there was no way I was waking up that early by myself.

"Hey J, can you set an alarm for 8am tomorrow, please?" I asked the AI, figuring that that would be enough time to get ready.

"Of course Ms," he replied, and I thanked him. With that, I finished the last of my rice krispie square, and put my plate in the dishwasher. Walking to my room, I attempted to stop myself thinking of how angry Dad would be, when he saw me on the Helicarrier. _I better bring some rice krispie squares to soften the blow. _

A harsh _bing _sounded from my phone, indicating the arrival of the files to my email. I changed into my pyjamas, before flopping onto my bed. I opened my email, and swiped upwards, and a hologram of the files appeared in front of me. Firstly, the files described a glowing cube called the Tesseract. Loki had taken it from SHIELD and brainwashed some of the Agents, using a scepter. _Ah, that must be the 'toy' that Dad was talking about, that Loki took from Fury._ The second part detailed Dr. Bruce Banner, also known as the Hulk. There were pictures of him in his human form, and his Hulk form, smashing a row of cars. I read through the file quickly, as it didn't contain much detail. _Dam__n__, I better make sure not to make him angry. __Although I guess that goes both ways._

The next part showed Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America. _Damn, that is one attractive man. _There was a black and white video of him fighting, with a shield covered with the design of the American flag. After reading about him, I felt sympathy for the Captain. _It must be so hard to wake up in a world that seems so alien. He must be having a hard time adjusting. _

Lastly, I read about Thor, a God from a place called Asgard. He wore unusual clothes, including armour and a cape. Upon reading more, I made an interesting discovery. _Shit, he's Loki's brother! I wonder what made Loki go batshit crazy. Guess I'll find out soon. _After seeing that the files were finished, I set my phone aside and turned off the light. As I went to sleep, my thoughts were filled of what the future might hold, and of the people I was going to meet in the morning.

**Author's note:**

**Hi again! Thank you so much for reading the first chapter, I really appreciate it. I'm really enjoying getting back into writing, and I think that my writing has improved over the past year (I hope anyway :)) and I'm much happier with my plan for the story now, than I was a year ago. Once again, thank you for reading, and I'll see you in the next chapter! -Ciaco124**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi everyone, I hope you're having a great day! Thank you so much to Ashes2Dust18 and LauraB90 for following! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story so far :) Thank you again to everyone reading, and I hope you all enjoy. Without further ado, here's the next chapter!**

**\- Ciaco124**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel, I only own my OC: Tilly**

_**Chapter 2:**_

Five minutes. I had five minutes left before I needed to leave the Tower to go the Helicarrier, and I was nowhere near ready. My alarm went off at eight, and it woke me up, but I lay in bed for a while, staring into space, only to freak out when I checked my phone and realised it was a quarter to nine! I had the quickest shower I've ever had, and somehow brushed my teeth and hair at the same time.

"There is a Quinjet waiting for you on the roof, Ms." JARVIS interrupted me, as I frantically got dressed into my SHIELD jumpsuit. _Fury will have my head if I'm even __two__ minutes late._

"Shit, shit, oh for fuck sake, where's the other shoe?" I began flinging everything around the room like a madwoman, until I found it.

"Ah, there you are, you little shit," I said triumphantly. I grabbed my bag, throwing in a bottle of water, as I passed the kitchen. _Wait, the rice krispie squares! _I hastily grabbed the remaining slices, and chucked them in a plastic tub, flinging them into my bag as I ran towards the elevator.

As I sprinted in, JARVIS automatically set it to go to the roof. It seemed like only a second had passed, before my eyes were assaulted by the bright light of the morning.

"Thanks J!" I yelled, as I hurried out to the roof, where the Quinjet was waiting for me.

As I entered the Quinjet, I looked at the pilot, realising that I didn't recognise him. _That's unusual. I would have thought I'd recognise most of the agents, considering how much time I spend at the Helicarrier. _

"Good morning Ms. Stark, my name is Agent Westen," the agent introduced himself, appearing slightly frustrated that I was late.

"Good morning to you too Agent Westen, it's nice to meet you," I replied with a polite smile.

"We better get going, Director Fury gave me strict instructions to not be late," he informed me, looking agitated.

"Of course he did," I responded, rolling my eyes. I chucked my bag onto one of the seats, and sat beside it. I rested my head back, and put my earphones in, (which I'd thankfully thrown in during my rampage this morning) humming as my music started to play.

After what seemed like no time at all, I felt the Quinjet descend and finally come to a stop. I grabbed my bag and stepped out of the Quinjet, and onto the familiar runway of the Helicarrier. Agent Westen suddenly appeared in front of me, his hand held out towards my bag.

"Ms. Stark, may I take your bag? Director Fury has asked that you report to him straight away."

"Oh yeah thanks, that would be great," I replied with as cheerful a smile I could muster in the morning.

"Would you like me to ask someone to show you the way to the meeting area?" the agent asked.

"No it's okay thanks, I know my way around."

After handing my bag over to the Agent, I made my way inside, zig zagging through the hallways until I finally arrived at the main area. I noticed Fury, who had his back towards me, sitting at the table with several people that I didn't recognise. Fury suddenly turned around, staring me down with his menacing eye. _Damn, I swear that man has another eye in the back of his head._

"Stark. You took your time," Fury's threatening eye stared right into mine.

"Sorry about that Director. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again," I responded sarcastically.

"I want you to meet the people you're going to be working with," Fury held his hand out as he spoke, gesturing towards the strangers at the table. I walked over towards them in silence, thankful that Dad wasn't there.

"Stark, this is Steve Rogers, aka Captain America. Captain, this is Tilly Stark, Tony's daughter." Fury finished speaking by sending a glare in my direction. The Captain held his hand out, which I shook firmly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you ma'am," he said with a bright smile. I have to admit, I was completely awestruck when I looked at him. I felt a slight heat in my cheeks. _Damn, __he's even more attractive in real life.__ Ugh, look at those muscles, they're so defined. _I snapped out of my daydream as Fury cleared his throat, and I quickly dropped the Captains hand. My cheeks became red with embarrassment as I quickly collected myself.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too Captain, and you can call me Tilly. I'm not old enough to be a ma'am," I replied smiling back at him, and he nodded, as Fury moved me down the table to introduce me to the next person.

"Stark, this is Thor, Loki's brother," Fury introduced the strangely dressed man. _Damn, he rocks that cape. _

"It is a delight to meet you Lady Stark." My eyes widened slightly, as he took my hand and kissed the back of it. I felt my cheeks heat up once again.

"It's great to meet you too Thor, and you can just call me Tilly as well." I replied with an edge of charm in my voice, and a slightly flirtatious smile. Fury quickly led me to the other side of the table, where a very familiar agent stood.

"It's good to see you Tilly," Natasha said, with no expression in her face. _Something must have happened. She's usually more open towards me. Wait; Clint. Maybe something happened to him. Shit, I hope not. _

"It's good to see you too Nat," I responded with a soft smile.

"Agent Romanoff will brief you on the situation and on Loki. You will feed him at ten and again at five. Try to get some information from him, we need to find out what his plan is. Do not engage otherwise. Understood?" _He's trying to intimidate me. Nice try Nick, but it's not working. _

"Understood Director," I replied with a hint of sarcasm. He sensed it, and scowled at me.

"Good. Report back to Agent Romanoff every evening. Keep note of every damn word that comes out of his mouth, and analyse it. Find out what he's up to." I nodded stiffly, in reply. He moved as if to leave, but turned around again, staring menacingly at me.

"Stark." He paused, and looked me dead in the eye. "Do not, fuck this up." With that, he turned and left.

I turned to Natasha.

"Well isn't he just a ray of sunshine. I swear every time he sees me, he hates me even more," I huffed, crossing my arms, while simultaneously rolling me eyes.

"Honestly, you're probably right," Nat remarked, smirking. My smile dropped as the thought of the missing agent returned to my mind.

"Clint?" I asked hesitantly, not sure if I wanted to know the answer.

"Compromised. Loki got to him." Her previous smirk completely disappeared and she was once again emotionless, although I could see the worry behind her eyes.

"We'll get him back Nat," I smiled at her, trying to reassure her. She gave me a curt nod, and turned my attention back over to the table, where Thor and the Captain were sitting. She grabbed a file that was lying on the table and passed it to me. I opened it, curious as to what I was about to find out. I was met with a picture of a stern, yet highly attractive man. _What is with all of the __handsome fellas today, not that I'm complaining. _I glanced over at Thor and the Captain briefly, before turning my attention back to the file in front of me. I scanned it quickly, only reading the important parts properly.

Name: Loki Odinson AKA God of Mischief

Brother to Thor Odinson

Age: Over 1000

_Damn that's so old. How is that possible? Well I suppose, he is a God, after all. _

Race: Asgardian

Status: Prisoner

Intentions on Earth: Unknown

There was more writing, but I wasn't bothered to read it. _It's probably just a load of useless shit. I have the information I need __anyway._

"We don't know what Loki's up to. What we do know, is that whatever it is, it's not good. After hearing abut everything he's done over the past few days, I'm suspicious about the fact that we got him here at all. It's almost like he surrendered himself. We just don't know why." I frowned as Nat spoke.

"You're right, it's super suspicious. It doesn't make any sense. I mean, why did he just give up? He doesn't seem like the type to give in, judging from what Fury told me. I'll see if I can coax his plans from him." I bit my lip, deep in thought, thinking about all the possibilities for what Loki could be planning.

"Sounds like a good plan. Don't forget to check in with me later. We can work together with the others to see if we can find anything. A pattern, or a code maybe. We'll be watching the cell as well, so we'll be able to hear what you're saying." She looked at me with a raised eyebrow as she finished speaking. I scoffed, rolling my eyes, knowing that she was silently warning me not to purposely piss off Loki.

"Yes, of course. I'll be good, don't worry. I better head to the cafeteria to get him some food, it's almost ten." My stomach rumbled in response. _I'll get something for myself as well. I wonder if they have pain au chocolats. _I turned to Thor, a thoughtful expression on my face.

"Thor, do you have any idea what Loki might like to eat?"

"I am not too sure Lady Tilly, I don't think he'll mind. I'm not sure if he will even accept any food at all. Thank you for asking though, I appreciate your kindness."

"It's no bother, honestly. I guess I'll just grab another of whatever I'm having," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"I'll see you guys later." I waved and made my way to the cafeteria.

Taking various lefts and rights, I finally arrived at the cafeteria. _I could find my way around this damn place in my sleep. _There wasn't too many people there_, _and I recognised almost every one of them. I walked over to the table, and my mouth watered at the sight of all the delicious food. I saw a plate full of pain au chocolats and nearly squealed in delight. As I went to grabbed two plates, an angry voice made me tense and turn around.

"Tilly!" Dad stood at the entrance of the cafeteria, visibly angry, and staring right at me. _Well shit._

He stormed towards me, and I grimaced, awaiting the inevitable scolding.

"What the hell are you doing here. I thought we agreed that you would stay at the Tower, that you would tell Fury you wouldn't help him. I told you how dangerous this is." He was practically shouting, and some of the other people in the cafeteria started turning their heads, to see what was going on.

"Dad I know, I'm sorry. I just... Fury offered a deal that I couldn't refuse. He's offering me freedom from the tower, and less monitoring. All I have to do in return is feed Loki, and try to get some information from him," I spoke to him with a pleading look on my face, begging him to understand why I chose to go against his wishes.

"Wait, so you're going to be alone with Loki? I told you, he's dangerous. Why couldn't Fury just ask one of his Agents, why did it have to be you?" His expression was constantly changing from anger to worry, as if he didn't know how to react.

"You know why it had to be me. And Loki shouldn't be able to escape the cage, so I'm safe. Don't forget who it was originally built for," I spoke quietly, hoping that it might calm him down.

"The 'shouldn't' part is what I'm afraid of. I'm just worried about you." I could see that he was telling the truth, by the way his brows furrowed, and he glanced down slightly.

"Dad, I'm the most powerful person on this ship," _even if I can't control it. _"I can use that against Loki. I'm sorry that I upset you, but I just couldn't pass up the opportunity for more freedom. I've been waiting years for this. I have to prove to Fury, to the Council and myself that I'm ready." I spoke with conviction, truly meaning every word I said. He looked at me with sorrowful eyes, and I could tell that he agreed with me, as much as he didn't want to.

"Don't get too close to him and if he tries anything, you get your ass straight out of there." He spoke seriously, but I was just happy that he was supporting me in my decision.

"Anything happens and I'm out. Straight away, I promise." I smiled widely at him, trying to reassure him that I would be okay. He nodded and told me that he was going back to the lab and that he'd see me later. Before he left, I passed him a pack of blueberries, guessing that he hadn't eaten since Germany. He had a tendency to get so engrossed in his work that he'd forget to look after himself.

After he left, I turned my attention back to the assortment of food on the table. I put the two plates down, and placed a pain au chocolat on each one. I poured two glasses of orange juice, my favourite drink, and placed both the plates and the glasses on a trolley. I made my way to the cell, humming as I pushed the trolley. After a few minutes, I finally arrived. I had no idea what was waiting for me on the other side of the door. Taking a deep breath, I entered the code into the keypad and walked into the room, pushing the trolley in front of me. I noticed a small, circular table and a metal chair in front of the cell, and made my way over to it. Setting the plates and glasses down, I turned to the cell, and the man standing within it.

I couldn't see his face, as he had his back to me. His raven black hair reached his shoulders, and his body language was somehow both tense and comfortable at the same time. _Wow he's tall. Taller than I expected. What the hell is he wearing? __Is he going to bother acknowledge me or not? _My question was answered when I noticed his head turn the slightest bit towards me. _I should probably introduce myself, since I already know who he is. _Taking a tentative step forward I tried to keep myself calm and composed. I cleared my throat slightly, and tilted my head upwards. Keeping a dominant facial expression I stepped forwards a few steps, this time more confident.

"Hi. My name is Tilly; Tilly Stark." After I spoke, he was still for a second, before completely turning around to face me. He looked at me, clearly confused, before speaking.

"Tilly Stark, is that so?"

**Author's note:**

**Hi everyone, thanks so much for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it :) Thanks again to Ashes2Dust18 and LauraB90 for following! Until next time!**

**\- Ciaco124**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi everyone, I hope you're having a good day! Thank you again for reading, and I hope you're enjoying the story so far! Without further ado, here's the next chapter!**

**\- Ciaco124**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel, I only own my OC: Tilly**

_**Chapter 3:**_

"Tilly Stark, is that so?" His voice held a curiosity, as well as a hint of annoyance. He probably wasn't in the mood to be disturbed.

"Yeah, it is so. And you're Loki. I brought you some food. I don't know if you have this type of stuff where you come from, but I think it tastes pretty good." I shrugged, and took a bite out of my pain au chocolat.

"I do not care for your food, mortal." He spoke with disgust clear in his tone. I scoffed at his clear hatred for humans. _He thinks we're inferior. Has he not met the Avengers? _

"You call me 'mortal' because you think you're better than me. I just think that's funny, because somehow a group of said 'mortals' beat your ass and now you're here, stuck in a cage." I smirked as he scowled at me. I could tell that I was already getting on his nerves. He didn't reply, instead choosing to watch me as I sat down on the cold metal chair, making myself comfortable.

"What are you doing?" He asked, clearly irritated.

"What does it look like, I'm sitting down to eat my breakfast obviously," I spoke in the most sarcastic tone I could muster. He glared at me, and I raised my eyebrows in return. "I'm here to entertain you. The Director was afraid you'd get bored. He associates boredom with mischief, especially after having me around so often." He continued to stare at me, clearly not intending to answer me.

"So Loki, you're Thor's brother, right?" My question seriously angered him for some reason. I could tell by the sudden rage in his eyes, and how he tensed up.

"Thor is **not**, my brother," he spoke through gritted teeth saying each word slowly, showing his anger. I held up both hands, as my eyes widened.

"Jeez, calm down." _So dude's got family issues. __They should add that to the file._"I didn't mean to offend you. When the Director introduced me to Thor, he said he was your brother. So either he's lying, or you're lying. Or there's something else that the Director doesn't know about."

"I..." He paused. "That is none of your concern, mortal." He covered his hesitancy quickly, still glaring me down. After a short silence, he spoke again. "If your Director wishes torture me, he is succeeding." I held my hand to my chest, feigning offence.

"Well then. I can't say that didn't sting. And here I thought I was great company." I think I saw a glint of amusement in his eyes, although he certainly wouldn't show it on his face.

I began to eat, feeling uncomfortable as his eyes never left my face. As I finished my pain au chocolat and took a sip of my orange juice, I looked up to see an intrigued expression on Loki's face. _He looks confused. __Maybe he can sense my powers. _

"You can sense them, can't you? My powers," I asked curiously. His intrigued expression morphed into one of realisation.

"I can feel an energy; although it appears muted. You don't know how to use them, do you?" He smirked as he saw my eyes widen slightly. _Shit. This is not how this was supposed to go. _I didn't reply, thinking it would be better if I didn't screw up any more.

"Your potential is wasted here. Join me, and I will teach you to wield it." I momentarily acted as if I was considering his offer, and then scoffed.

"Sorry mate, I think I'll pass. I don't fancy getting too close to all that crazy," I pointed at him as I spoke, and the look of fury that suddenly appeared on his face was laughable. _Its one__-__all now, asshole. _

"How dare yo-" I interrupted him before he could continue.

"I dare because right now you're stuck in there, and I'm out here. You can't do anything to me." I was hoping that by baiting him, I could get him to unknowingly give me some information on what he was planning. _He's in here for a reason. He wouldn't be here if he didn't want to be. Come on crazy, let slip what you're __devising__. _He narrowed his eyes at me, and I could tell that he had caught on to what I was trying to do.

"I suppose you're right, mortal." His face became expressionless once more, with the slightest hint of a smirk. _Son of a bitch, thinks he's so clever. _He turned around so that his back was facing me, clearly done talking to me. _He's not giving me any more information. And he knows he can't get anything out of me either. Neither of us have any leverage. _Once I realised that he wasn't giving away any of his plan, I thought it would be best for me to leave. _I'll go visit Dad in the lab, after reporting back to Nat. _

"Well as much as that conversation was riveting, I think I'll head back to the others. I'm starting to get a little bored." He didn't bother turning around to reply or see me leave the room, pushing the trolley in front of me.

I returned the trolley to the cafeteria, and decided to eat Loki's pain au chocolat. _Mmm this is so good. He's missing out. _When I finished the sweet breakfast treat, I put the dishes and glasses in the dishwasher, and left to see Nat. When I arrived back at the main area, I was surprised to see Fury talking to Nat. _Shit, he looks angry. What's new, I guess. _As soon as I walked in, he turned away from Nat and stomped towards me.

"What the hell was that Stark? You were supposed to find out what he was planning, not make yourself a new friend." I wasn't surprised at his outburst, because in a way he was right.

"I tried, but I could tell that he wasn't going to give me any information. He doesn't know anything about me and I think he didn't like that. He seemed more interested in getting information out of me than giving it. Maybe, he's looking for someone to prey on. He has nothing on me, so he has no leverage." I spoke with a sigh, hoping Fury would take my explanation and let me be. He didn't seem very satisfied with my answer, but thankfully let me away with it for the moment.

"I'm sending Agent Romanoff to interrogate Loki properly. Get to know your team members while she is gone. Find a way to make yourself useful, or the deal is off." It was clear that Fury was irritated, and took to threatening me because I didn't perform to his high standards. I was not about to pass up the opportunity he had offered me, so I gritted my teeth and nodded in response. He left the area with Natasha following him, giving me a sad smile as she passed. I turned my attention to the two men sitting at the table. Both Thor and Captain Rogers seemed to have been listening to the conversation between Fury and I, but acted as if they hadn't been. I strolled over to the table, and pulled out a chair opposite them, plopping myself down onto the seat.

"Well hello again. Fury told me to get to know you guys, so here I am," I spoke exasperatedly, although I was actually interested in getting to know my new team. They were certainly unusual and interesting people, to say the least.

"I don't mean to intrude, but the Director seemed quite angry. Thor and I were watching you and Loki as well, and we agree with your thinking that he wasn't planning on giving up any information." Steve offered me a smile, trying to reassure me after Fury's outburst.

"Thanks Captain. It was game over as soon as Loki figured out what I was trying to do. There was nothing else I could have done, not that Fury's going to accept that. Fury's not my biggest fan to begin with, so whenever I disappoint him, he gets extra pissed off," I finished with an eye roll, annoyed that I couldn't do anything about the situation I was in. Taking all of Fury's shit was worth it, if it meant freedom. So that's what I would have to do. Just take it.

"My brother has always been skilled in manipulation and deception. I would have been surprised if he had told you anything. He's extremely stubborn as well." Thor seemed sad as he spoke about Loki. I felt confused though, as Loki was adamant that Thor was **not **his brother, yet Thor referred to him as such. Maybe that's why Thor seemed sad. Maybe he considered Loki to be his brother, but the feeling was not mutual. _I might as well ask him. I'm not going to get anywhere theori__s__ing in my head. _

"Thor, I have a question, if you don't mind answering it. When I mentioned to Loki that I knew you were his brother, he got really mad and defensive. He made it pretty clear to me that you weren't his brother. I was just um, a bit confused; and curious." I bit my lip, hoping that my question hadn't been too personal or intrusive. Thinking about it after Loki's reaction, it probably wasn't the best idea to ask him. _Well it's too late now. _

"Oh yes, I saw that. Loki found out not too long ago that he was adopted, and he became angry that it had been kept from him his whole life. He discovered also that he was a Frost Giant. Frost Giants are not generally liked by Asgardians, and would be seen as monsters by many. Loki took the discovery badly, and he began to hate our family. He has made it clear that he does not want anything to do with us." I could see that Thor missed his brother, and was trying to be understanding towards him, or at least as much as he could with the current circumstance.

"Shit, I'm sorry." Steve glanced at me disapprovingly, probably because I cursed. _Poor man probably isn't used to girls who curse. Well he better start getting used to it around me. _

"If it's alright with you, I wanted to ask about your powers," Steve inquired, rightfully curious. I'd want to know as well, if the roles were reversed. I presumed that Fury hadn't given them any information on me. There wasn't much on the SHIELD system anyway. I was one of SHIELD's best kept secrets, and I presumed that Fury wanted to keep it that way.

"Oh yeah, of course. Well it's, um... it's a long story, but I'll try to make it as quick as I can. I guess I should start from the beginning." I took a deep breath, knowing it was going to be difficult delving into the past.

"My Mum was actually a SHIELD Agent, and she met Dad at a charity event. And well, shit happened, and Mum became pregnant with me. When I was growing up, I didn't see Dad much, because Mum didn't want me to be in the spotlight. I grew up surrounded by SHIELD. Mum was pretty high up in the ranks and between her and Dad's position in the world, they were afraid that someone would try to kidnap me for ransom, or something worse. And one day, someone did. Mum was out on a mission and another Agent was looking after me, when Hydra agents broke in. They killed the Agent, and took me. They brought me to an old HYDRA base and they..." I stopped momentarily. I hated thinking about what happened. It never got any easier. I took a low breath before continuing. "They experimented on me for months. They were trying to make me a new and improved super solider." I looked up from where I had been staring at the floor, and noticed Steve's eyes on mine, an intense anger and upset within them. He knew all too well the shit that HYDRA inflicted on people. I tore my eyes from his, and continued to speak.

"Well, to say it worked would be an understatement. One day, Mum figured out where I was and tried to save me, but HYDRA captured her and killed her; right in front of me. I lost control and my powers suddenly activated. You see, I have another side to me; a dark side. Seeing them kill Mum, it made me so angry, and I completely lost control. Kind of like Dr. Banner, I suppose. Something in me just flipped. I was fuelled by pure rage and hate. I killed everyone in the base. Ever since then I haven't used my powers. I can't actually, I have no idea how to control them. After that day, I was brought to SHIELD and they kept me there for a few weeks, before Dad took me home. I was considered 'dangerous' and they actually put me right at the top, of the list of threats to national and international security. I'm actually above Loki. Ever since then, they've been monitoring me all of the time and the only places I'm allowed to go are Stark Tower and the Helicarrier. That's why I'm here. Fury offered me a chance to have freedom, if I managed to get information out of Loki. So I already fucked up there, but hopefully he'll give me another chance." _As unlikely as that is, knowing Fury. "_Even though I can't use my powers, I'm not completely useless, though. I was trained in hand-to-hand combat by Agent Romanoff and Agent Barton, two of the best. As to what my powers actually are, I honestly don't completely know. Between things I heard when I was with HYDRA and the tests the SHIELD scientists did on me, I have the ability to control and manipulate energy. My powers have come up accidentally in the past few years, at times when I've gotten quite emotional. Like when Dad was kidnapped, I started boiling and freezing water, and turning lights on and off accidentally. I try to keep my emotions held back, because I'm afraid if I let them go that shit will go down and I'll lose control again. So yeah, that's it super summed up." I finished with a strong exhale, thankful that I was finished talking about what had happened. When I dared to look up at my teammates, I was met with two almost identical looks of horror. It was clear that whatever they thought I was going to tell them, it wasn't all of that.

"Lady Tilly, I am so sorry you had to go through that." Thor seemed deeply troubled as he spoke, and I could sense that he truly did feel sympathetic towards me.

"Thank you Thor, I really appreciate it." I smiled at him, thankful for his support.

"I'm sorry Tilly I shouldn't have asked you, it was none of my business," the Captain said, seemingly guilty for asking me to talk about my past, now that he knew its contents.

"It's okay Captain, honestly. You didn't know, and it was valid question." I almost felt guilty that he felt guilty. It really wasn't his fault and I offered him a soft smile, trying to convey that I didn't blame him.

"Call me Steve, please. And even still, it was none of my business." _This man is so precious. What a gentleman. _

"Steve honestly, it's fine. Yeah you asked, but I answered and I didn't have to. That's not your fault." I shook my head, smiling as I could tell that he didn't want to agree with me.

"As much as I don't want to agree with you, I have a feeling that you won't let me disagree," Steve grinned at me, and I was happy that he listened to me.

"And you would be right. I'm very stubborn," I said smirking, as the two men chuckled. Steve then told us that he was going to go to the lab to check up on Dad and Banner. He left Thor and I with a nod and I waved at him in return, also asking him to make sure that Dad was behaving himself.

Thor and I remained in silence for a while. I noticed that it seemed as if he wanted to say something. Every few seconds, he would slightly open his mouth as if he was about to talk, before suddenly closing it and furrowing his brow. Soon though, he found the right words to say, and he spoke.

"I see in Loki, what you described. The strong emotions and loss of control. Ever since he found out about his true parentage, his actions have been fuelled by rage. He is not the man I once knew, but even still, he remains my brother," Thor reflected, visibly troubled by the change in Loki that he detailed. I really felt for him. I could tell that he really did care about Loki, but the feeling unfortunately wasn't mutual.

"I understand. When I lost control, Dad was always there for me; even when I felt like I didn't deserve it. Loki's lucky to have you, even if he doesn't realise it. This could be far-fetched, but maybe there's a chance the old him is in there somewhere, under all of that rage and shitty attitude." We both chuckled slightly. I tried to be as optimistic as possible, sensing his unease at his brother's current situation.

"Thank you Lady Tilly, and I hope that you are right." I beamed at him and suggested that we head to the lab, to check up on the others. He agreed, and I was glad to see that he appeared more positive than he had been a few minutes before. We stood up, and exited the main area to make our way to the lab in a comfortable silence. _Maybe I shouldn't have go__t__t__en__ Thor's hopes up. Maybe Loki __**is **__too far gone. _One thing I knew for certain was that we would soon find out.

**Author's note: **

**Hi everyone, thanks so much for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it :) Until next time,**

**\- Ciaco124**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi everyone, hope you're having a great day! Thanks again for reading the story, and I hope you're enjoying it so far :) Thank you also to Ashes2Dust18 for letting me know there was an issue with the uploading of the last two chapters. I have re-uploaded both of them, so hopefully the issue is resolved :) Without further ado, here's the next chapter!**

**\- Ciaco124**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel, I only own my OC: Tilly**

_**Chapter 4:**_

As Thor and I made our way to the lab, I stopped by my room to get my tub of rice krispie treats. I offered one to Thor and he took it without hesitation, shoving the entire thing in his mouth in one go. I laughed as he told me that it was delicious, through a full mouth. After he finished, we continued walking, when we ran into an old friend.

"Phil! It's so good to see you," I exclaimed and hugged the older agent. When I released him he smiled at me and ruffled my hair, something he'd do every time he saw me.

"It's good to see you too Tilly. I hope you haven't gotten yourself into any trouble?" He gave me a knowing look as he spoke. I would have rolled my eyes if his question hadn't been valid. I had a bad habit of finding trouble wherever I went.

"Actually, I'm a member of the Avengers now. So I guess that means no more trouble for me," I chuckled and he grinned at me in return, before turning to face Thor.

"So I heard, from the Director. Keep an eye on that one, Thor. She may look innocent, but chaos follows her like ducklings following their mother." I childishly stuck my tongue out at him and crossed my arms in response. They both chuckled at my antics. I remembered back to the day, when Phil told me that Thor arrived on Earth for the first time. He never mentioned his name, but told me of the destruction that followed him. _Oh, __it must have been Loki that__ sent The Destroyer. Well it all makes sense now. _

I'd known Phil for as long as I could remember. He was really good friends with Mum, and they both did a lot of missions together. I always suspected that Phil had feelings for Mum, but for as smart as she was, she seemed completely oblivious to them. As a result of their close friendship, I spent a lot of time around Phil while I was growing up. Dad, unfortunately was never his biggest fan, and his opinion hadn't changed much. After Mum was killed, Phil was always there for me. Whenever I had to go to the Helicarrier for tests and updates, he made sure that he was the one to bring me there. He always protected me and made sure that I never had to do anything I wasn't comfortable with. He also helped me to get Fury to back off, before I learned how to stand up for myself. I considered him to be a part of my family; as much as Dad didn't like that.

"Thor, I have some information on Jane you might want to hear," Phil said, facing the tall man. I saw Thor's eyes widen and he nodded immediately in response.

"I certainly would Son of Coul, thank you." I chuckled at how Thor referred to Phil, before realising that Thor was looking at me.

"You go Thor. I'll head to the lab and catch you later." I smiled at him, and he nodded at me in thanks, before turning and heading back to the main area with Phil. I went in the opposite direction, and made my way to the lab. When I arrived, I walked in to see my father frantically typing on a computer, and Bruce pensively staring at a holographic screen. A striking blue glow grabbed my attention, and I looked to see that the glow originated from a long, pointed scepter. I suddenly felt a strange sensation run through my body. It was like I could feel something pulsing, almost. _Maybe that's what Loki felt when he sensed my powers. It must be coming from the scepter. _

"Hey kiddo. What'cha doing?" Dad barely lifted his eyes from the screen as he spoke, something I was used to. He had a habit of getting so engrossed in his work, that he'd forget about the rest of the world.

"I thought I'd check on you, to make sure you haven't gotten yourself into trouble." I crossed my arms and raised my eyebrow, when he turned around to face me, raising his eyebrow in return.

"I thought that was my job," he chuckled, before standing and walking over towards Bruce.

"Bruce, this is my daughter Tilly. Tilly, this is Dr. Bruce Banner." I walked over to Dr. Banner and shook his outstretched hand firmly.

"It's nice to meet you Dr. Banner. Dad's showed me some of your papers and I thought they were really interesting!" I smiled at the shocked look on the doctor's face.

"It's nice to meet you too Tilly, and please call me Bruce. I'm honestly surprised you've read my papers." From his expression I had a feeling he couldn't decide if I was lying or not. I was pretty young to be reading complicated papers on anti-electron collisions, after all.

"I guess I'm my Dad's daughter. I brought some rice krispie squares with me, if you guys want some." I smiled and opened my tub, holding it out to the two scientists. Dad took one straight away, although Bruce hesitated, but eventually took the smallest piece.

As they ate, I made my way over to the screen to see what they were working on. My eyebrows scrunched as I saw that they were trying to access SHIELD's secure files. _What are they looking for? _

"Dad, what the hell are you doing? Fury is going to murder you, literally," I asked worriedly, imagining how mad the Director would be when his deep dark secrets got found out.

"We're trying to find out what Nick's been hiding from us. Don't you think it's weird that even after all of the amazing work I've done on energy with the tower, that they didn't bring me in on the Tesseract project. Why are they in the energy business, anyway? When that finishes decrypting the secure files, we'll find out all of their dirty little secrets.," Dad replied, popping the last piece of the rice krispie slice into his mouth. I sighed at his nerve, but found myself agreeing with him. _He has a point. SHIELD has lots of nasty little secrets. They must have been using the Tesseract for something; but what?_

"I guess you have a point. But when Fury comes to kick your ass, I knew nothing." He chuckled and both he and Bruce made their way over to the screen, beside where I was standing. I saw Dad frown as 'ACCESS DENIED' appeared in front of us. I offered to help them and they gladly accepted. As much as I didn't want to be involved, I also didn't want to sit around just watching them. Fury did tell me to be useful, after all.

As I said to Bruce earlier, I was my father's daughter. Dad taught me everything he knew about technology and physics as I was growing up, even more so after Mum died and I always loved listening. It was something that we could do together, and gave me time to actually see him. He was always out at business deals and parties, so I never saw that much of him. Making things in the lab and testing new projects allowed us to spend time together, and I cherished those moments. After Dad announced himself as Iron Man, I would often spend time with him in the lab working on the suits. Pepper would always have to remind us to eat, as we'd get so engrossed in our work that we didn't notice the time passing. After all of that time with Dad, I learned so much and in that way I was just like him. It was one of the few things we had in common. Breaking from my thoughts, I got to work. I got ready at any moment to jump away from the computer, in case Fury walked in to bust us.

After ten minutes, we all simultaneously muttered "finally," as 'ACCESS GRANTED' appeared on the screen. I stood up and walked over towards the scepter, figuring Dad would tell me if he found anything interesting. The scepter was long and sleek. It had a pointed tip, and a blue gem glistened brightly near the top. It was certainly captivating. I found myself reaching towards the gem hesitantly. _I really shouldn't be doing this. _My brain was yelling at me to stop, but my body was fighting to be closer to it.

"What are you doing, Stark?" Fury's voice entered the room, and I turned so quickly away from the scepter, that I almost fell over. I nearly started stuttering, until I realised that Fury was looking at Dad, not me. _Holy shit, that scared the crap out of me. _

"Uh- kind of been wondering the same thing about you," Dad rebutted. _Maybe he found something. _

"You're supposed to be locating the Tesseract," Fury replied, clearly not happy that the accusations were being turned onto him.

"We are. The model's locked and we're sweeping for the signature now. When we get a hit, we'll have the location within half a mile," Bruce chimed in. _Oh, they must have found something bad. I didn't take Bruce to be the sassy type. _

"And you'll get your cube back, no muss, no fuss. What is Phase Two?" Dad asked accusingly.

Suddenly, Steve entered the lab, and threw a large gun on the table.

"Phase Two is when SHIELD uses the cube to make weapons." Steve turned to Dad and continued to speak. "Sorry, computer was moving a little slow for me." Dad threw Steve a glare. _Those two really don't like each other. _

"Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract. This does not mean that we're-" Dad cut Fury off before he could say any more.

"I'm sorry, Nick." Dad turned the screen towards the Director, before continuing. "What were you lying?" Looking at the screen, I saw plans for what looked like a missile. _What the __fuck__! They're using the cube to make some nuclear weapon? __Why am I even surprised? _

"I was wrong, Director. The world hasn't changed a bit," Steve remarked, frowning at Fury.

All of a sudden, Thor and Nat entered the lab looking concerned. As soon as they walked in, Bruce's eyes went straight to Nat's and he addressed her.

"Did you know about this?" It was clear that Bruce was angry, and felt betrayed. _I would be lying if I said I didn't expect this type of shit from SHIELD._

"You want to think about removing yourself from this environment, doctor?" Bruce laughed sarcastically in response to Nat, and I sensed that he was started to get angry.

"I'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy." Bruce announced, before turning his attention away from Nat and onto Fury.

"I'd like to know why SHIELD is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction," Bruce asked the Director curiously. Fury turned and pointed at Thor.

"Because of him." Fury stated defensively.

"Me?" Thor appeared confused, and I shared his confusion. _What is Fury on about? Thor's barely been here for five minutes. _

"Last year Earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that levelled a small town. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, out-gunned."

"My people want nothing but peace with your planet." Thor replied, obviously unhappy with what Fury was implying, and I didn't blame him.

"But you're not the only people out there, are you? And you're not the only threat. The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, they can't be controlled." As he spoke, Fury looked at me, and I gave him a small glare.

"Like you controlled the cube!" Steve rejoined the conversation, clearly also angry with Fury.

"Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies. It is the signal to all the realms, that the Earth is ready for a higher form of war." I frowned at Thor's comment. _A higher form? What's out there that thinks we're ready for a higher form of war? __What's out there that wants war in the first place?_

"A higher form?" Steve questioned, clearly on the same train of thought as me.

"Your forced our hand! We had to come up with some-" Dad cut Fury off, before he could continue.

"Nuclear deterrent! 'Cause that always calms everything right down." A thick feeling of hostility filled the room, and I started to feel uncomfortable. To be honest I wasn't that bothered that SHIELD had been hiding 'Phase 2'. Although I understood why the others were mad that SHIELD were keeping secrets from them, I understood why some stuff had to be kept confidential. I mean, I was one of SHIELD's big secrets, so in a way I felt desensitized to all the lies and secrecy. It was a part of being with the agency. That's why Nat and I weren't as bothered as the other team members.

"Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark?" Fury's remark angered Dad, and it pissed me off too. I tried to keep my thoughts to myself most of the time, but when it came to family, I got very protective.

"I'm sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck deep-" Dad interrupted Steve before he could say anymore.

"Wait- wait! Hold on. How is this about me?" The two men did a brilliant job of making it clear they weren't each other's biggest fans. They were complete opposites, to be fair.

"I'm sorry, isn't everything." I was shocked at Steve's statement, surprised at the sudden change in character from the gentleman I met earlier.

Everyone started shouting at one another all at once, and my mind couldn't make out who was saying what. _What a bunch of children, __h__onestly. And these people are supposed to be professional._

As they continued arguing, I moved back out of the group, not wanting to get involved. I picked up bits of the conversation, although everyone was talking over one another, so I couldn't make out half of it. There was something mentioned about the threat list, which I scoffed at. I ruled the top of that list, although I was actually surprised to hear that Steve was on it. Steve and Dad's resentment towards each other began to show, when the two faced each other, ignoring the rest of the group. They each threatened to put their suits on and fight to 'let off a little steam' as Dad put it. I glanced worriedly toward Bruce. I don't think anyone wanted him getting too angry, but no one else seemed too concerned. Or so I thought, until Fury addressed my concerns.

"Agent Romanoff, would you escort Dr. Banner back to his-" Bruce cut Fury off, shouting at him.

"Where? You rented my room!"

"The cell was just-" Fury tried to explain himself, but Bruce was having none of it.

"In case you needed to kill me. But you can't; I know, I tried!" I gasped softly to myself at Bruce's words. I stared at him in disbelief. He seemed so kind and shy when I met him earlier. Although it had only been brief, I found it hard to imagine the Doctor is such a dark place. At that point, everyone was staring at Bruce, in shock. They were finally silent.

"I got low. I didn't see an end, so I put a bullet in my mouth and the other guy spit it out. So I moved on. I focused on helping other people. I was good until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk." I really empathised with Bruce. After the massacre at the HYDRA base, I became terrified of myself. I was scared that I would unintentionally hurt the people that I cared about, and that I wouldn't be able to do anything about it. I snapped out of my thoughts, when I saw Bruce pick up the scepter.

"You wanna know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You wanna know how I stay calm?" I looked warily at Bruce as he spoke, and I noticed Nat and Fury reach for their guns.

"Doctor Banner, put down the scepter." Steve whispered cautiously. Bruce looked down, and seemed surprised to see the scepter in his hand. Suddenly, one of the screens made a noise, signalling that the Tesseract had been located. Bruce put the scepter down and walked over to the screen, on the other side of the room.

Another fight broke out, when no one could decide what was going to be done with the Tesseract, in terms of who was going to take it. I looked at Bruce and heard him silently whisper "oh-my-god." I furrowed my brow, and opened my mouth to ask Bruce what he saw. Before I could speak, I felt a force push on my chest and felt my back hit the wall, as I was thrown across the room. I groaned, holding my hand to my head, feeling a piercing headache forming. I winced, noticing little shards of glass embedded in my left arm. _Fuck, that hurts. _Looking around, I saw that the lab had been completely demolished. Dad and Steve lay near the entryway and I noticed Thor near Fury, on the ground behind one of the tables. Dad and Steve quickly stood up, and Dad's eyes darted around the room, but relaxed when they finally found my face. He ran over to me, to check if I was okay, worry clouding his features.

"I'll be okay Dad. Go, Steve needs your help." He tried to argue with me not wanting to leave, but I stood up to prove to him that I was alright. After ushering him out, I saw Fury and Thor get up. Before I could say anything, Thor ran out of the room. _He's probably gone to Loki. _The Director gave some orders on his comm, and then turned his attention to me. He walked over, slightly limping.

"Stark, go to Loki. Do **not **let him escape." I nodded in reply, and he handed me a comm, which I hastily put in my ear. I left without another word, jogging through the Helicarrier.

Just before I reached the cell room I ran into Phil, who was carrying a giant gun.

"Phil! What the fuck are you doing with that?" He berated me for my language, before telling me that he was going to stop Loki from whatever plan he was carrying out.

"Just so happens that I'm doing the same thing. Let's go before Mr. Crazy escapes. Fury will have my head if he gets out." He chuckled at my remark, and we both continued to the cell.

When we got there, we noticed the door was open. We could hear Loki talking, and noticed an agent just in front of us,, holding a gun. Loki stood beside the control panel, and I immediately readied myself for a fight. Looking to the left I noticed Thor in the cage, where Loki should have been. _How the hell is Loki out here and Thor in there?_ I turned to Phil and nodded, and he titled his head in response. I walked up behind the agent and hit him hard in the back of the neck, effectively knocking him out. As the agent hit the floor, he made a loud thump, drawing Loki and Thor's attention to us. Phil held up the gun and pointed it at Loki, before speaking.

"Move away, please." _Really Phil? Now isn't the time to be playing good cop. _Loki started to move back from the panel he was standing beside, his glance darting between the gun, Phil and me. When Loki stayed silent, Phil spoke again, gesturing at the gun.

"Do you like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent the Destroyer. Even I don't know what it does. Do you wanna find out?" Phil began to power up the weapon, and I started to move towards Loki with him. A soft footstep caught my attention, and I whipped my head around, to somehow see Loki! _That's not possible. _Before I could react, Loki thrusted the point of the scepter into Phil's chest.

"Nooo!" I screamed as loud as my lungs would allow me, as Phil yelled and dropped to the floor. I vaguely heard Thor scream in the back, but my attention was now fully on Loki.

I threw my hand out to punch him, but he reacted quickly and grabbed my wrist. Holding it tightly, he held the scepter up to my chest, for a mere second. I gasped softly, before falling to my knees. My head suddenly became full of a voice that sounded like mine, but whose thoughts certainly weren't. _**Kill them all. Bring down the ship. Kill them, torture them like you were tortured. Murder them. Let the**__**ir**__** blood spill and cover the floor in a sea of red.**__**KILL THEM! **_I held my head in my hands, squeezed my eyes shut and began whimpering, trying to drown out the voice. As much as I tried to stop it, I could feel it getting louder and louder.

"Not again, not again, not again," I whispered to myself, rocking back and forth in a desperate attempt to stop the thoughts crowding my head. I thought I heard Loki and Phil speaking, but I couldn't be sure, as the voice in my head was too loud. I momentarily opened my eyes, only to see Phil fire the weapon and send Loki flying through the air and into a wall. Hearing Phil call my name, I managed to turn my head to face him.

"Hey, Tilly look at me. Focus on me, okay. Don't take your eyes off me." He spoke softly and slightly gargled, as blood dripped down the corner of his mouth.

I felt tears roll down my cheeks, as I tried to keep my attention on him. _This isn't working. __**You cant stop this. Stop fighting and let me in. **_

"I can't, Phil. I can't do it," I spoke so quietly, I'm not certain he heard me. I could feel the thoughts getting louder and louder. I knew I wouldn't be able to keep them at bay for much longer. With that thought in mind, I stood up shakily beside the wall. I looked down at Phil, although he appeared blurry through the tears.

"I'm sorry Phil. I can't let it take over." Before he could respond, I tilted my head away from the wall and held it there. With as much power as I could muster, I flung my head towards the wall, and heard a soft '_crack' _as my head made hard contact with the surface. Black dots began to crowd my vision, as I once again tilted my neck away from the wall. With an almighty '_whack,' _my head smashed against the wall. The last thing I saw before I hit the ground, was a tall silhouette, getting closer and closer.

**Author's note:**

**Hi everyone, thanks so much for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it :) Until next time!**

**\- Ciaco124**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Always in Their Shadow (Revisited)**_

**Hi everyone, I hope you're having a brilliant day! Thank you for reading and I hope you're enjoying the story so far :) Without further ado, here's the next chapter!**

**\- Ciaco124**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel, I only own my OC: Tilly**

_**Chapter 5:**_

I opened my eyes slowly, as I regained consciousness. A sharp pain ran through my head, and I squinted as my eyes were assaulted by a bright light. I groaned in agony as my eyes started to become accustomed to the light. Looking around, I gasped in shock as I realised where I was. _Holy shit. I'm in Stark Tower! _I noticed a bar to my right, and a balcony outside. _I must be in the penthouse. What the fuck happened?_The memories of what occurred on the Helicarrier started to flood into my mind. _Phil. He's gone. _My breathing started getting heavy, and tears pooled in my eyes. I hoped that the others were okay. I stood up slowly to see that dried blood coated my clothes and my hand. Confusion started to set in as I realised I had no idea how I'd gotten to the tower. _Maybe __Dad__ took me after the explosion. _My question however was answered, when a familiar voice filled the room.

"I see you have awoken." My eyes widened as I turned to see the owner of the voice. Loki sauntered over to me, scepter in hand. I wanted to fight him, but I knew that I couldn't win. He was too powerful, especially with the scepter. _He must have brought me here. But why?_

"What the fuck do you want with me?" I didn't bother trying to conceal my anger as I spoke, I was pissed.

"To offer you the same deal I did before. Join me. I can help you to unleash your full potential." He stood straight as he spoke, trying to assert dominance.

"After what you did to Phil, and all of those other innocent people? You must seriously be fucked up to think I'd even consider it." I spoke through gritted teeth, tears starting to form in my eyes. Suddenly, he began to chuckle. I stared at him, confused as to what he found funny. _This__ guy really is insane. _

"Care to share what's so funny?" He was starting to really irritate me, and I was struggling to try to control my urge to just attack him.

"You berate me for killing innocent people, yet seem to forget that you killed hundreds years ago." I stood, staring at him in shock after he spoke. _How does he know that. There is no way that he could know that._

"I don't know how you know about that, but those people were not innocent. They were evil. They got what was coming to them." He smirked at my response.

"I saw your memories when the scepter touched you. And you do not deny them. You do not feel remorse. Perhaps we are not so different after all." He spoke slowly, and curiously awaited my response.

"We are nothing alike." I spoke one syllable at a time, with as venomous a tone as I could muster.

"I would have to disagree. Why don't we ask your father. It seems he has arrived." I followed his gaze outside the Tower, to see the familiar Iron Man suit flying towards us.

Loki walked out onto the balcony, waiting for Dad to land. I stayed inside and walked beside the bar, where Dad would enter. They both walked inside at the same time, and Dad's eyes went straight to me. He showed concern in his face, and I nodded to show him that I was alright. Dad nodded back and casually walked towards the bar, down the steps. Loki spoke as he neared.

"Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity," Dad put his hands behind his back as he stopped.

"Uh actually, I'm planning to threaten you." Loki looked amused at Dad's response.

"You should have left your armour on for that." Dad started walking again, making his way to the bottom of the steps, where I stood.

"Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got the uh- blue stick of destiny." He pointed at Loki's scepter as he spoke. Loki glanced at it proudly and smiled. I walked behind the bar and Dad followed me before continuing. "Would you like a drink?" Loki grinned, entertained at Dad's question.

"Stalling me won't change anything." I didn't actually know what Dad was doing and I wondered what he was stalling for. _Maybe the others are on their way. I hope so because we can't take down Loki by ourselves. _

"No, no, no! Threatening. No drink? You sure? I'm having one." _What's he up to?_ Looking down on the counter, I noticed two bracelets. _So that's what you're planning. __Using the brac__e__le__ts to __deploy__ a new suit. _Without looking at Dad or Loki, I put both of my elbows on the counter, acting as if I was resting them. Loki started to become impatient and walked over towards the window. As his head was turned, I went to slide the bracelets over to Dad, but Loki turned around before I had the chance to.

"The Chitauri are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear?" Dad opened a bottle of scotch and poured it into a fancy looking glass.

"The Avengers." I grinned, while Loki appeared confused. "It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' type of thing." Loki smirked and replied quickly.

"Yes, I've met them." He took a few steps forward and I tensed slightly, Dad still appearing completely calm.

"Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. But let's do a head count here. Your brother, the Demi-God." The mention of Thor clearly irked Loki, and he turned around slowly while Dad continued. "A super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend." As he spoke, I slid the bracelets over to him and he hastily put them on. "A man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, the two us and you, big fella," he pointed at Loki, who had once again turned around, smirking. "You've managed to piss off every single one of them." Loki narrowed his eyes, before replying.

"That was the plan." _Son of a bitch doesn't give a shit. _Picking up the glass, Dad walked out from behind the bar with a serious expression on his face.

"Not a great plan. When they come; and they will, they'll come for you." Loki only looked slightly bothered, although you couldn't tell from his response.

"I have an army," he replied defiantly, mischief sparking in his eyes.

"We have a Hulk," Dad retorted.

"I thought the beast had wandered off," Loki stated, pointing his scepter towards the window. _Something must have happened to Bruce. _Dad replied quickly, clearly trying to distract Loki.

"You're missing the point. There's no throne. There is no version of this where you come out on top." It was clear in Loki's eyes and from his fidgeting, that Dad had struck a nerve. "Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it." He took a quick sip of his drink as Loki approached him, raising his scepter menacingly. I could feel Loki's annoyance as he spoke.

"How will your friends have time for me, when they're so busy fighting you?" Before I knew what was happening, Loki had pressed the tip of the scepter against Dad's arc reactor. There was a 'ping' and a soft hum, but other than that nothing happened. Loki who looked as confused as me, tried again with the same result. _Is that embarrassment I see on Loki's face? I'm not going to lie, this is pretty comical. _

"This usually works," Loki said, clearly bewildered. I almost felt embarrassed for him, it seemed Dad felt the same as well.

"Well, performance issues. You know?" Dad mumbled something to himself when suddenly, Loki grabbed him by the throat and threw him towards the window. I called out to him and went to attack Loki, but he pushed me back and I fell backwards to the floor. As Dad got up, Loki walked over to him and grabbed him by the neck, rage in his eyes.

"You will all fall before me." It was at that moment when I noticed a glint coming from the bracelet. _Where the hell is the suit? _As I stood up, I barely heard Dad mumble, "deploy!" before Loki threw him out of the window.

"Dad!" I shouted and ran over to the window, only to see him falling at a fast rate. W_here's the fucking suit! _Not a second passed before a red pod flew out of the elevator and came hurtling towards where I was standing. Just before it reached me, I dove to the right, feeling the breeze as the pod zoomed by.

It wasn't long before I heard the familiar sound of thrusters and saw Dad rise up, to outside the window. He hovered in his Iron Man suit, all attention on Loki as he spoke.

"And there's one other person you pissed off! His name is Phil." Dad swiftly put up his hand to fire a repulsor blast at Loki, who was knocked backwards. As Loki was on the floor, a loud boom echoed throughout the room and looking outside, Dad and I noticed a large blue beam shooting up into the sky. The beam started to widen at the top, seemingly opening a wormhole of sorts. As it opened, something started flying out of it. _Holy shit. Are they aliens? _Dad seemed as surprised as me, but son snapped out of it.

"Right! Army." He remarked, clearly as shocked as I was. He turned to me and lowered spoke. "I'm going to take you down to the street. I need you to help as many civilians as you can. If you hear fighting, run the other way. Keep in touch with the team through the comms and yell if you need help. Okay?" _He's gone into full parenting mode. I can look after myself and if I hear a fight, I'm not running away. He doesn't have to know that though. _

"Yeah, okay. I got it," I told him, determined.

"Hold tight." He didn't give me a chance to reply before we were in the air, and making our way towards the ground. I closed my eyes, as they had started to sting with the force of the wind. Only a few seconds had passed before my feet touched the road. I felt slightly dizzy, as my feet touched the concrete. _Going that fast is not a good idea with a head injury. _I winced as my headache started to come back. Dad gently put his hands on my arms. "Stay safe," he expressed, with concern. I looked at him, anxiety racing through my body.

"You too, please be careful." He smirked at me.

"Aren't I always." With that, his thrusters powered up and he flew into the sky. _Of course he had to leave with sarcasm. Typical Dad. _

My ears started to pick up on deafening screams coming from my right. _Shit, I better go. _I sprinted to my right, following the screams. As I ran, I noticed several upturned cars and large pieces of debris from buildings. More screams appeared, as strange creature started shooting at people mercilessly. _What the fuck are those things? _I noticed a lot of people running in each direction in the middle of the street. _They're going to get themselves killed. I need to get them somewhere safe. _Looking to my left, I noticed the entrance to the subway. _Perfect! _I dashed towards a large group of people and stopped once I got in front of them. Luckily, the creatures were distracted by something else, and ran to the other end of the street.

"**Hey, stop! Everybody stop!" **I roared at the top of my voice. Although some people continued to run, the majority halted and turned to face me. Before I had a chance to speak again, the sound of an explosion rang out. _Shit, that sounded close. I need to get these people to the subway now!_

"Everybody listen to me!" I called out. Much to my surprise, there was silence from the crowd and I was met with dozens of hopeful, yet frightened eyes. "I don't know what these things are. What I do know, is that we're not safe here out in the open. I have a plan though. Head to the subway and grab as many people as you can on your way. Once you get in there, use whatever you canto make a barricade. Do not come out until someone comes to get you." As I finished, I was greeted with a chorus of nods. My attention was diverted, as I heard more screams from up ahead. I turned back to the crowd. "I have to go and help them, but please listen to what I've said and stay safe." A woman stepped forward to the front of the crowd.

"Who are you?" Her question made me stop. _Well I feel like a proper superhero now. Should I tell them who I am? Fury will definitely be pissed. _With that, I made up my mind.

"My name is Tilly. Tilly Stark." There was a chorus of gasps and people started mumbling and whispering to each other. _Well, there's no going back now. _

"Thank you Ms. Stark, for saving us," the same woman from before spoke, smiling at me. I smiled back, before replying.

"You're welcome. Now go quickly, before they come back." The crowd didn't need more motivation, as they all ran towards the subway. Remembering the screams from up the street, I once again set off in a sprint.

I continued searching for civilians, and directed them towards the subway. The odd time, I almost ran into one of the aliens, but managed to hide before I was spotted. I heard talk on the comms, but none was directed towards me, so I didn't respond. After around ten minutes, I heard something on the comms that actually mattered to me.

"Captain, the bank on 42nd past Madison. They've cornered a lot of civilians in there." _Clint! It's been so long since I've seen him. _

"I'm on it," Steve said. Putting my finger to the comm, I spoke.

"Wait," I stopped Steve before he could go any further. "I'm literally outside the bank right now, I got this one."

"Tilly, is that you?" I heard Clint say.

"Yeah, it's me. Seriously, I've got this one. You guys keep doing what you're doing."

"Are you sure? It's going to be dangerous," Steve said, unsettled.

"I'll be fine. I've learned to fight from the best." I smirked as I spoke, and I was sure Clint was smirking too.

"Okay, just be careful," Steve said, concerned.

"Don't worry Captain, I always am." _I sound like Dad. _I turned to look at the bank, and took a deep breath. _I can do this. I got this. _

Running to the door, I opened it slightly. _All clear. No aliens in sight so far. _I crept in, checking for the creatures with each step. I reached the centre of the bank unsighted. I noticed a large group of people huddled in the middle, a look of panic on each of their faces. _The aliens must be on the next level up. _I made my way to the edge of the crowd, just enough that I could see three creatures on the floor above with their weapons pointed menacingly at the crowd. I nudged the man closest to me inconspicuously. He almost screamed in fright, but I quickly silenced him with a finger to my lips. I made a circular motion with my finger and gestured towards the back of the room, away from the aliens. He nodded at me. I tapped more people, and used the same gesture. Slowly, the crowd began to move backwards. I made my way to the front, as stealthily as I could. One of the aliens, started to notice the movement and made a threatening screech. _Oh shit. I have to distract them._

"Hey! Over here you big brutes," I shouted, as loud as I could. They all turned their attention towards me and snarled. They jumped down one by one until they were right in front of me, their weapons pointed and ready to attack. Well fuck me, I didn't think this far ahead. One of them took a shot, but I rolled to the right just missing it. I was close enough then for hand to hand combat. I started throwing punches as hard as I could, although I took some as well. I need to keep them distracted. I turned to the people and shouted at them. "Get out! Go, now!" I managed to knock one alien to the floor, but noticed another going towards the crowd. Shit, I have to stop it. I ran as fast as I could and jumped on the aliens back, putting it in a choke hold. I pulled my arm as hard as I could, until I heard a snap and the alien fell to the floor, me collapsing with it. I stood up as fast as I could, to face the last one; but I wasn't fast enough.

A sharp pain erupted in my stomach, that left me gasping in agony. I looked up to see the alien, with it's weapon pointed right at the centre of my pain. I turned around to see the people standing, watching the scene unfold. _Get out of here you fucking morons! _The alien started coming towards me, ready to finish the job. _I can't fight it, I'm too weak. I have to distract it, so the people can get out. _I stumbled backwards, almost tripping as I went. Suddenly, I felt something in my mind.

"_Kill it. Give it a slow painful death. Make it suffer!" No, no. no. Not again, please oh please no. _I shook my head, muttering to myself.

"No, no, no. I won't let you in. I won't let you in. Get out, get out, get out!" I felt a vicious energy building up inside of me, waiting to be freed. The pain from the wound suddenly vanished. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. As I opened them, I smirked.

"You're going to regret that," I said coldly, scowling at the creature in front of me. I held my hands up in the air, feeling a strong power running through my body. With a final breath, I pushed them towards the ground, and the room was encompassed with a bright light, and an immense heat.

A few seconds had passed until I fell to my knees coughing, the pain returning. I took quick breaths, feeling the power leave me, along with the presence in my mind. _No. No, I promised I wouldn't. I promised to never let it back in. _I was too afraid to look behind me, afraid of what I would see. _Save the civilians. I must save the civilians. _Terrified, I turned around slowly, scared of what lay ahead. Bodies littered the floor. Dead bodies. The bodies, of people I killed. Blood stained the ground and the walls. It seemed there was no space left undisturbed. A lot of their faces looked as if they had melted. I choked on air, as I fell to the ground, my head between my hands. "No! Nooo!" I screamed into the air. Tears streamed down my face as I continued to scream. I punched the ground, trying to take away some of the guilt, with no success. When the pain became too much I collapsed to the ground again, my back now against a wall. _If I don't treat that stomach wound, I might bleed out. Not that I don't deserve it. _Placing my hand on the wound, I pressed firmly. I cried out in agony.

"Fuck, that hurts. **Aaagh!**" Black dots entered my vision, as my raspy breathing slowed. My head lolled to the side and my hand fell to the floor. I was met with the lifeless eyes of the man I met first. Guilt swelled up inside of me, as the pain worsened. Sobs escaped my mouth, and soon engulfed my body. _I killed them. I killed them all. _

**Author's note:**

**Hi everyone, thanks so much for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it :) Until next time!**

**\- Ciaco124**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi everyone, I hope you're having a great day! Thank you to everyone for reading and a huge thank you to Xanthe99 for favouriting :) Without further ado, here's the next chapter!**

**\- Ciaco124**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel, I only own my OC: Tilly**

_**Chapter 6: **_

I wasn't sure how long I lay there, staring into the dead eyes of an innocent man **I killed**.Blood caked his face and parts of his skull were showing, in places where his skin had burned off. His eyes were lifeless, just staring into mine. A sharp pain in my stomach reminded me that I was wounded. I looked down to where I had been shot, and saw blood pooling onto the floor. I shakily lifted my hand and placed it on my jumper, applying as much pressure as I could. I cried out as an excruciating pain sliced through my stomach. _Fuck, I'll bleed out if I don't do something. _Tired sobs began to escape my body, causing me to shake and in turn the pain intensified. Suddenly, I heard footsteps. _Shit, that sounds close. If another one of those things comes back, I'm finished. _The door of the bank opened and two pairs of footsteps came into earshot. I heard a voice, but I didn't have enough energy to figure out what was said and whether or not it was human. A bright light then shone into the room, with two figures following it. I winced at first, but then turned my head to get a better look. _That's Dad! _I noticed the other person was holding a bow. _That must be Clint. _I tried to say something, but no noise came out. Dad and Clint came to a stop, observing the destruction I had caused. Dad continued to look, as Clint turned around towards me. Glancing along the walls, his eyes finally came to a stop on mine. He squinted in an attempt to see through the darkness, as Dad's light was pointing the other way.

"Tony, I think I found her."

Light was quickly directed towards me, so bright I felt like I was being blinded. I didn't have the energy to close my eyes, or cringe away.

"Tilly!" Dad ran over to me and crouched beside me. He put his hand behind my head and cradled my body to his chest. The pain tripled to the point where black spots started to enter my vision.

"Aargh! Shit, shit it hurts," I cried out in pain. Dad put my head gently on his lap, as Clint crouched next to me. His hand had barely touched the wound, before I let out a howl of pain. In my peripheral I noticed Clint look at Dad worriedly, as he spoke.

"She has a severe wound, probably from one of the Chitauri's guns. It looks like she's lost a lot of blood. We need to get her to a hospital." Dad looked down at me, clearly concerned.

"We don't have time. She doesn't have time. We need to get her to the Tower and to Bruce. There's medical supplies there that he can use." Clint nodded in response and with that, I felt myself being picked up. My hand fell to the side, and my head rolled away from Dad's suit. As he brought me outside, I was greeted with absolute carnage. Rubble was strewn all over the road, along with the occasional chunk from a building. I faded in and out of consciousness on the journey to Stark Tower. I only remembered occasional screaming and the sound of stone falling from buildings. It seemed like no time had passed, before I was placed gently on a bed. I heard voices talking fast, too fast to make them out. I tried to keep my eyes open, but my breathing slowed and I eventually fell into unconsciousness.

Once I woke up, I chose to stay silent. Dad talked to me in an effort to get me to say anything at all, but I wouldn't; I couldn't. Bruce came in every so often to change the dressing and keep an eye on the stitches. He was surprised when he saw that the wound was healing unusually fast. I had a feeling that my powers were speeding up the process. It seemed that they weren't going to go dormant again, no matter how much I tried to ignore them. Throughout the day, various people came to visit me. Clint and Nat came first and they were soon followed by Steve and Thor. I still didn't speak, having nothing to say. They tried telling me that what happened wasn't my fault, but I knew that it was my fault. I knew that even if I told them such, they would still argue and so I didn't bother. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the dead eyes of one of the men I killed. I felt like I was reliving **that** moment over and over again. The bright light and sudden heat, the bodies, the blood; and it was all because of me.

"Tilly, please talk to me. Say something; anything." I broke away from my reverie to look at my father's worried eyes. I opened my mouth to finally speak, but it was too dry and scratchy for any words to come out. I coughed a few times, which brought back the pain in my stomach. He quickly grabbed a glass of water from the bedside table and held it to my mouth, letting me sip it slowly. Lowering the glass with my hand, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. It was then, that I finally found the courage to look up and meet his gaze.

"How many? How many people did I kill?" I asked the question with no emotion, starting to feel myself go numb. One of my defence mechanisms to deal with guilt, was to block out any feeling at all. It wasn't the best thing to do, but it worked for a while at least. I knew that it upset Dad though, as he hated seeing me so empty. I could tell by his face that the answer to my question wasn't good.

"Tilly, I don't think-" I cut him off before he could continue.

"Dad tell me, please. I need to know. If you don't tell me, I'll just end up finding out from someone else." I meant what I said. If he wouldn't tell me, Fury certainly would. I was sure the man couldn't wait to shove it in my face. _I wonder what he'll do to me. Is he gonna lock me up? Our deal is definitely off in any case. _

"According to Fury it was... it was ninety seven." He looked at me cautiously, uncertain of how I was going to react. _Fuck. I didn't think it would be that high. Ninety seven. Each of those people had a family and friends; and life. I took all of that away. _

"I'm guessing Fury wants my head on a chopping block, not that he's wrong to. I'm also guessing he wants to see me as soon as possible. I'm actually surprised that he wasn't here to shout at me as soon as I woke up." I looked at Dad, noticing that he seemed uncertain on how to react to my response. From his perspective, it was probably unnerving and worrying that I spoke so monotonously.

"He's on his way here to speak to you. He didn't tell me what was going to happen, or what he was planning," Dad stated.

"Of course, sounds just like Fury." I rolled my eyes as I spoke.

After that, we stayed in silence for a while. Bruce came back once again and took out the stitches. The wound was healing extremely fast and it was almost nothing more than a scab. About an hour had passed when JARVIS' voice entered the room to let us know that Fury had arrived, wanting to see me alone. Dad argued, not wanting me to talk to him by myself, but Fury was having none of it. With that, I was left alone with Fury in the living room of my floor.

"I told you to do one thing Stark; to **not **fuck up. Not only did you do just that, you fucked up so bad that I have the World Security Council on my ass about the safety of Earth with you on it." I didn't reply, knowing that he had more shouting to do. "Thankfully, I've come up with a solution that benefits everyone." I was actually curious as to what he was going to propose. "You're going to go to Asgard with Thor and Loki." I stared at him, eyes wide. _What!_

"I thought you said the solution was going to benefit **everyone**. Excuse me for thinking that it sounds like you're only trying to help yourself; by sending me to another fucking planet." I was fuming and I'm certain he could tell from my tone.

"You've left me with no choice, Stark. You killed ninety-seven people. Innocent civilians. They died because you don't have any control over your abilities. You're dangerous. Who knows when you'll lose control again, and what if you do more damage than you did this time?" A single tear betrayed me, falling down my cheek. _He's right. I am dangerous. _

"I'm guessing I don't have a choice in the matter?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"No, you don't," Fury replied, telling me what I already suspected. I gave a curt nod, knowing that there was no point in arguing. "You have ten minutes to pack, and then Agent Romanoff will take you to the detainment area where Loki is being held. You'll stay there until the morning and then Thor will take you to Asgard." I didn't have time to argue as he turned and left, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

_Ten minutes to pack! What the hell am I even supposed to bring? How long am I going to be gone for? Am I ever going to come back? _As hordes of questions started to flood my mind, I found myself starting to panic. Fury only mentioned going **to **Asgard, but said nothing about coming back. It made sense that he was trying to get rid of me. It was clear that the Council didn't want me on Earth, and arguing with them was pointless. They didn't care that I was a person with feelings, with a life. To them, I was just a threat that they wanted to eliminate. Looking at my watch, I realised that three minutes had already passed. _Shit, I need to hurry up. _With that thought, I ran to my room and grabbed a backpack. I started to throw various pieces of clothing into it, along with some toiletries. I soon filled it to the brim with the necessities, not too sure of what I'd need. _Maybe they'll give me anything else I need there. _I started to think about what Asgard would be like, not even knowing it existed at all, until recently. Judging by Thor and Loki's clothing, it was nothing like modern times here on Earth. If their clothing was anything to go by, I couldn't imagine Asgard being very technologically advanced. Although, Thor and Loki were apparently Gods. Maybe it wasn't too far-fetched to think that they might have magic. Thinking about it, I could almost confirm my thoughts after seeing Loki's illusions and Thor's hammer.

A knock on the door prompted me to put my backpack on. Nat entered, looking tired and concerned.

"Are you ready to go?" She asked cautiously, and I wondered could she possibly be scared of me. Nat never showed fear, it was part of her training. But those of us who knew her well could see even the smallest flickers of emotion flash through her eyes and right now, I was seeing a flash of fear. It made me wonder who else was afraid of me now.

"I guess," I responded, smiling softly. We made our way to the elevator and JARVIS took us down to one of the basement levels. When we exited the elevator, we were met with big, metal doors. A small keypad was placed to the right of the doors, awaiting an eight digit code, including both letters and numbers. _I wouldn't be surprised if Dad has hidden lasers pointed right at the doors. _

"I'm sorry about this, but Fury didn't give me a choice." Nat spoke, turning my attention towards her.

"It's okay, I get it. He's pissed, but he has good reason. I'm too dangerous to stay here. I'd be putting everyone in danger if I stayed," I replied with a shrug, thankful that she wasn't angry at me. Nat had been there for me after I left HYDRA. She knew about everything that happened; she was one of the few that did. Along with Clint, she helped to train me in various things, including how to keep my emotions in check. She had also come from a bloody past, so in that regard, I was glad to have someone who could empathise with me. She smiled at me slightly, before typing in the code.

The doors opened to reveal a large, empty room, with a single occupant. Loki had his back towards us and didn't bother to turn around at the sound of the door. I gave Nat a final nod before walking in, turning my head to see the doors close. I sighed and dropped my bag onto the floor, sliding down the wall to sit beside it.

"I would say it's nice to see you again, but that would be a lie," I expressed, raising an eyebrow when he didn't respond. I was surprised, as I thought he was going to rub the fact that I was in here with him in my face. He then finally turned around to face me. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw that he was wearing a metal band that was covering his mouth. _He probably started talking shit and someone decided to shut him up. _

"I've got to admit, this is very amusing," I chuckled. Loki on the other hand, didn't look amused in the slightest. "Well you better get used to my company, because we're prison buddies now. I fucked up pretty bad, so I'm going back to Asgard with you and your brother." I could see that I was really starting to piss him off already. I smirked at the realisation and wanted to see how far I could push him. _I might as well, __I have __nothing else to entertain myself in here. _"You know what I think is funny. A few hours ago, you thought you were so high and mighty. You called yourself 'a King.' Just look at you now. You lost; big time. And now you're stuck in here with me. Looks like your plan failed; epically." I barely had a chance to finish speaking before I felt a hand around my neck. I quickly grasped at his hand, trying to claw it away. No matter how hard I tried, he wouldn't budge. He was too strong for me. Without consciously doing anything, I felt a surge of energy rush through me. Heat started to emanate from my body, concentrated on my neck, where Loki's hand was squeezing. It started to get hotter and hotter, although surprisingly, it didn't hurt me at all. Loki made a cry of pain, although it was muted because of the metal device on his mouth. He pulled his hand back swiftly, to reveal large blisters and burns covering the entirety of his hand. I coughed and retched, trying to take in as much air as I could. Loki on the other hand stumbled backwards, clutching his wrist. _Take that you son of a bitch. _I didn't know what I did, or how I did it, but for once I was actually glad that I had my powers. Looking up, I was met with a scowl. I smirked in response, delighted that I managed to get him off of me.

"If I were you Loki, I wouldn't try any more shit like that. It looks like my powers have come back and that means that I can stand up against you. Try anything again and I won't be as nice. Looks like we're room-mates now, so we better start getting used to each other." He glared at me in response, still holding his wrist. _This is going to be the longest fucking night of my life._

**Author's note:**

**Hi everyone, thank you so much for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it :) Until next time!**

**\- Ciaco124**


End file.
